Things To Do
Getting Outside
You're lucky—we spend all winter just waiting for June. On sunny days, people drop whatever they're doing and go for a walk along the nearest body of water. Some of our favorite areas to walk in Minneapolis are around the Chain of Lakes (Lake of the Isles, Bde Maka Ska, and Lake Harriet) and along the Stone Arch Bridge and the surrounding historic Mill District (which hosts the wonderful Mill City Farmers Market every Saturday morning). In St. Paul, we love Minnehaha Falls and Crosby Farm Regional Park (a floodplain forest where Mike recently organized public arts programming).
Eating Well
The cities' many immigrant communities make the local food scene what it is. Some of our favorites include Bangkok Thai Deli, Pho Ca-Dao (Vietnamese), Bolé Ethiopian Cuisine, Chimborazo (Ecuadorian), Hmong Village, and Burrito Mercado (Mexican, and across the street from the clinic where Miranda works). Chatterbox, Bull's Horn, and Matt's Bar are some of our favorite dives with good food—Matt's is the (disputed) originator of the Juicy Lucy burger, too! And if you're looking for fine dining, Owamni (2022 James Beard Award winner for Best New Restaurant), Sanjusan (Japanese-Italian fusion), Colita (the banana pudding once made us both cry), and Young Joni (great pizza and apps) are where we like to go for special occasions.
Seeing Art
The Twin Cities' many museums and galleries have been beloved to us. For larger art museums, we recommend checking out the Walker Art Center and the adjacent Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art (which is always free). Smaller galleries include Bockley, Weinstein Hammons, Hair+Nails, and Public Functionary. If you're in town for a while, great places to catch a performance include the Guthrie Theater, Jungle Theater, and the many music venues that First Avenue operates.
The Wigington Special
The Wigington Pavilion—where Saturday's festivities will take place—is named after its architect, Clarence "Cap" Wigington, who was the United States' first Black municipal architect. During the early 20th-century, Wigington left his mark on St. Paul, where 60 of his buildings still stand today. There are few better ways to learn about St. Paul and its history than by visiting some of these buildings and exploring the neighborhoods in which they're located. These include the Highland Park Water Tower (782 Snelling Ave S), the Hamline Playground Recreation Center (1564 Lafond Ave, which is now a mosaics studio), Roy Wilkins Auditorium (175 W Kellogg Blvd), and Holman Field Administrative Building (898 Bayfield S, which now hosts a restaurant where you can watch planes departing and landing at the St. Paul Downtown Airport next door).